IT'S a busy time for greeting card shops and children with crayons this week, as we approach Father's Day on Sunday.

Part of the NSPCC's work with new parents is a fantastic free campaign called Look, Say, Sing, Play - a set of fun and science-based resources which have been helping new parents since 2019.

Parents are encouraged to Look at what their baby is focusing on and how they react, Say what they're doing and copy the sounds their baby makes, Sing along to their favourite tune and Play simple games and see what their baby enjoys.

Hearing silly voices, playing little games and singing regular songs helps a baby's mind grow and develops powerful bonds that can last a lifetime.

It's a brilliant campaign, but while we saw terrific take-up here in Yorkshire from mums, just 10per cent of sign-ups were from dads or male carers. We want to change that, so we worked with focus groups and professionals to design a special version of the campaign to encourage more fathers and male carers to take an active role in their children's early development. The charity also worked with Father Support Workers and other professionals to get their input on what could be done to target dads and make the resources more appealing to them.

From the research, we found that fathers and male carers preferred to have outdoor and more physical activities that they could enjoy with their children. It was also found that they wanted more information about the science behind the programme. As a result, Look, Say, Sing, Play with Daddy has been created with a range of activities specifically designed to encourage dads and male carers to get involved.

The activity book created by the NSPCC features a four-week programme of activities that parents can do with young children, with several activities suggested for each week. Local NSPCC staff have been delivering Look, Say, Sing, Play workshops to groups to help them get involved with their children's development. Feedback from dads has been positive, praising the fun activities: "it's great playing like this because helps us to bond".

It's free to sign up and take part in Look, Say, Sing, Play, and you don't need special toys or equipment. All the games and activities can be played with items you've probably got lying around the house, or which can be found out and about. By signing up you get free weekly tips by email offering ways to build the techniques and games into daily life with babies and toddlers, strengthening parent-child bonds. We hope Look, Say, Sing, Play with Daddy will help increase the number of fathers and male carers enjoying these special, important moments with their children. Visit nspcc.org.uk